Cannabis plant named &#39;V3&#39;

ABSTRACT

The new cannabis plant variety C. sativa ‘V3’ is provided. ‘V3’ is intended for use as medicinal herb for sale in cannabis dispensaries and for use in the manufacture of medicinal and recreational products. The variety can be distinguished by its outstanding feature of increased production of tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/832,863 filed on Apr. 11, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as though fully set forth herein.

Latin name of the genus and species: Genus—Cannabis. Species—sativa.

Variety denomination:

The new cannabis plant claimed is of the variety denominated ‘V3’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct annual variety of C. sativa, which has been given the variety denomination of ‘V3’. Its market class is that of a medicinal herb. ‘V3 is intended for use as medicinal herb containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). ‘V3’ is intended for use as a medicinal herb for sale in cannabis dispensaries and for use in the manufacture of medicinal and recreational products.

The new C. sativa variety is a selection resulting from initial genetic selection of C. sativa varieties from Durban, South Africa and Malawi, Morocco to cultivate that had the potential for higher production of THCV. Plants were initially bred within greenhouses in Laytonville, Calif. before being acclimatized to outdoor conditions. After acclimatization, vegetative C. sativa plants were tested for THCV levels using chromatography. The highest THCV producing male and female plants were selected for breeding. The female parent F12 (not patented) of THC content 0.55% and THCV content 1.27% was cross bred to C. sativa male parent M31 (not patented) of THC content 6.14% and THCV content 1.24% to generate the F1 progeny. Cannabinoid production of the F1 progeny was measured beginning in 2016 and used to determine single plants to propagate. The new variety was discovered and selected as a single plant within a population resulting C. sativa plants from this controlled pollination in 2016 selected in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. Selection criteria included enhanced THCV production relative to THC production.

PROPAGATION The selection was subsequently evaluated for 3 years in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. Individual plants are initially propagated within a greenhouse without supplemental lighting. Plants are transferred to outdoor growth once established.

Asexual reproduction of the new variety by stem cutting propagation since 2018 at Mendo Love Farms in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A has demonstrated that the new variety reproduces true to type with all the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Human cultivation history of Cannabis dates back 8000 years (Schultes, R. E. 1970. Random thoughts and queries on the botany of Cannabis. Pages 11-38 in: C R B Joyce, and S H Curry eds., THE BOTANY AND CHEMISTRY OF CANNABIS. J. & A. Churchill. London, England (1970)). Hemp cloth recovered in Europe dates back 6000 years (Small, F., Beckstead, H D., and Chan, A. 29(3) ECONOMIC BOTANY 219-232. (1975)). The written record of the pharmacologic properties of Cannabis goes back more than 4000 years (Ti, H. 2737BCE.Nei Jing Su Wen Huang Ti (Yellow Emporer's Classic on Internal Medicine; referred to without citation in Small, et al. (1975) Supra).

The taxonomy and nomenclature of the highly variable genus Cannabis (Emboden, W A., 29(3) ECONOMIC BOTANY 304-310. (1974)) (Small, E. and Cronquist, A. 25(4) TAXON 405-435 (1976)) (Small, E. and Cronquist, A. 26(1) TAXON 110 (1977)); (Hillig, K W and Mahlberg, P G, 91(6) American Journal of Botany 966-975 (2004)), remains in question. This is in spite of the fact that its formal scientific name, ‘Cannabis sativa L.’, assigned by Carolus Linneaus (Linneaus, C, 2 SPECIES PLANTARIUM 1027 (1753), Salvius, Stockholm. Fascimile edition, 1957-1959. Ray Society, London, U.K.) is one of the oldest established names in botanical history and is still excepted to this day. Another species in the genus, ‘Cannabis indica Lam.’ Was formally named somewhat later (de Lamarck, J B, 1(2) ENCYLOPEDIE METHODIQUE DE BOTANIQUE, 694-5, (1785)), but is still very old in botanical history.

Three other species names were proposed in the 1800s to distinguish plants with presumably different characteristics (C. macrosperma Stokes, C. chinensis Delile, C. giganteam Vilmorin), none of which are accepted today, although the epithet “indica” lives on as a subspecies of C. sativa (‘C. sativa ssp. indica Lam.; Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra).

In the 20^(th) century, two new names were added to the liturgy of proposed ‘Cannabis species: C. ruderalis’ Janischevsky and a hybrid x ‘C. interstita’ Sojak. (Small, E, Jui, P Y, and Lefkovitch, L P, 1(1) SYSTEMATIC BOTANY 67-84 (1976)); Small and Cronquist 1976, Supra). Further, numerous names have been proposed for horticultural variants of ‘Cannabis’ but as of 1976, “very few of these have been validly published as formal taxa under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.” (Small and Cronquist, 1976 Supra). Moreover, other recent work continues to focus on higher-order evolutionary relationships of the genus. Cannabis has been variously ascribed as belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae) (Engler, H G A, Ulmaceae, Moraceae and Urticaceae, pages 59-118 (1889) in: A. Engler and K. Prantl eds., DIE NATURLICHEN PFLANZENFAMILIEN 3(1). W. Engelmann, Leipzeig, Germany; Judd, W S, Sanders, R W, and Donogue, M J, 5 HARVARD PAPERS IN BOTANY 5: 1-51 (1994)); nettle family (Urticaceae) (Berg, C C, Systematics and phylogeny of the Urticales, pages 193-220, in: P. R. Crane and S. Blackmore eds., EVOLUTION, SYSTEMATIC, AND FOSSIL HISTORY OF THE HAMAMELIDAE, VOL 2, HIGHER HAMAMELIDAE, Clarendon Press, Oxford, U.K. (1989); Humphries, C J and Blackmore, S. A review of the classification of the Moraceae, pages 267-277 In: Crane and Blackmore 1989 id.); and most recently in its own family with hops (Humulus), the Cannabaceae, or hemp family (Sytsma, K J m et al. 89(9) AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 1531-1546 (2002)). While the work of Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra, seemed to effectively confine the genus to a single species with 2 subspecies (C. sativa. s., C.s.indica), each with two varieties (C.s.s var sativa, C.s.s. var spontanea; C.s.i. var. indica, C.s.i. var. Karfiristanica) largely on the basis of chemotaxonomy and interfertility of all forms, more recent work (System, et al. 2002, Supra), proposes a two-species concept, resurrecting the binomial C. indica Lam. Since Systema, et al. 2002 provides no key for discriminating between the species, the dichotomous key of Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra, which accounts for all forms in nature, whether wild or domesticated, was used to classify the characteristics of the plants described herein.

The active ingredients in Cannabis are cannabinoids and include THC, THCV. Cannabinoids are of interest for their effects on the body through the endogenous cannabinoid system that is an integral part of the central nervous system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim for the development of the new C. sativa variety, ‘V3’, was to produce a variety featuring increased THCV levels relative to THC levels. These phytocannabinoids in Cannabis are known for their ability to signal through the human endocannabinoid system. THC is found in the form of tetrahydrocannabolic acid (THCA) that is converted to THC during drying or under high heat. Similarly, THCV in live plants is in the form of tetrahydrocannivarin carboxylic acid (THCVA). THC and THCV both bind to the cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB₁) and 2 (CB₂). Binding of CB₁ by its endogenous ligands, anandamide or 2-arachidonoylglycerol, stimulates food intake (Silvestri, C., Di Marzo, V. 17 Cell Metabolism 475-490 (2013)). THC acts as an agonist of CB₁ and stimulates appetite while THCV is a mild antagonist of CB₁ lessens sensations of hunger (Pertwee, R G. 153 British Journal of Pharmacology 199-215 (2008)). The ability of THCV to act as an antagonist of CB₁ has led to investigation of using THCV to treat metabolic syndrome and obesity (Riedel, G., et al., 156 British Journal of Pharmacology 1154-1166 (2009)). Selection of a variety producing increased amounts of THCV allows optimized isolation of THCV which may be used in treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Plants of the new variety differ from typical C. sativa plants in increased production of THCV compared to THC as determined by cannabinoid testing performed by an independent testing company. ‘V3’ is a new variety with increased production of THCV compared to standard varieties of C. sativa. The enhanced production of THCV makes ‘V3’ a variety of interest for production of medicinal THCV.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Profiles of Key Cannabinoids. Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent d9-THC 0.02 0.03 0.05 0.08 0.10 THCA 1.88 2.81 4.65 6.70 8.04 Total THC* 1.67 2.50 4.13 5.96 7.15 THCV 0.00 0.01 0.03 0.18 0.22 THCVA 1.37 1.94 2.88 4.23 5.08 THCV + THCVA 1.37 1.95 2.91 4.41 5.30 CBG + CBGA 0.16 0.28 0.58 1.03 1.24 CBCA 0.05 0.07 0.12 0.37 0.45 Total 3.25 4.80 7.77 12.04 14.45 Cannabinoid THCV/THC (%) 82 78 70 74 74 THCV/Total 42 40 37 37 37 Cannabinoid (%) *Total THC = (THCA * 0.877) + THC (i.e. delta 9 THC) + delta 8 THC

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PICTURES

The accompanying photographs show the typical appearance of the new variety ‘V3’. The colors are as nearly true as is reasonably possible in a color representation of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the actual appearance.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 18 weeks in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. in a 200-gallon container. The photograph was taken in July 2018.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3 ’ at about age 28 weeks in its flowering stage in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. The photograph was taken in October 2018 and demonstrates small bud structure.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 28-30 weeks in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A.

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 28-30 weeks in its flowering stage in Laytonville, Calif. U.S.A. The photograph was taken in October 2018.

FIG. 5 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 4-6 in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. in a greenhouse. The photograph was taken in April/May 2018.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description sets forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘V3’. The data which define these characteristics was collected from asexual reproductions of the original selection. Dimensions, sizes, colors, and other characteristics are approximations and averages set forth as accurately as possible. The plant history was taken on plants approximately 3 breeding years of age, and the descriptions relate to plants grown in the field in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A.

-   Classification:     -   -   a. Family.—Cannabaceae.         -   b. Genus—Cannabis.         -   c. Species—sativa.         -   d. Common name.—Marijuana.         -   Market class.—A medicinal herb intended for use as medical             oil, and medicinal herb for sale in cannabis dispensaries             and for use in the manufacture of medicinal and recreational             products. -   Plant:     -   -   General.—a. Parentage: a. Male parent — M31. b. Female             parent — F12. b. Average height — 6 feet/2 meters in a 200             gallon smart pot, sun-grown. c. Average spread — Can be up             to 10 feet in diameter. d. Growth rate — 2 inches per day in             the veg cycle. e. Branching characteristics — Sets of 2,             matching or alternating. f. Length of primary lateral             branches — 1-2 meters. g. Quantity of primary lateral             branches — 10-25. h. Characteristics of primary lateral             branches: a. Color — Green/tan. b. Texture — Sticky,             undulated, gritty. c. Strength — Soft to woody. i. Cold             hardiness — Impeded growth under 45° F. j. Cold tolerance —             Survives light snow. k. Chilling requirement — Flowers below             70° F. l. Shipping tolerance — High. m. Flower storage life             — One year. n. Productivity — Variable on size, plant in 200             gallon container yields 2-3 pounds, plant in 5 gallon             container yields 1-2 oz. o. Disease             resistance/susceptibility — Strong disease resistance. p.             Pest resistance/susceptibility — Resistant to spider mite             and powdery mildew. q. Fragrance — Farnesne. r. Proportion             of hermaphrodite plants — Low. s. Proportion of female             plants — High/medium. t. Proportion of male plants — Medium. -   Stem:     -   -   General.—a. Average diameter — Several inches at the             base. b. Average length of internode — At full maturity             approximately 4 inches if grown in a 200 gallon smart pot in             full sun. c. Depth of grooves — Shallow. d. Pith in cross             section — Thick. e. Trichome type — Capitate sessile. f.             Color — Clear to milky. -   Leaf:     -   -   General.—a. Quantity — Hundreds. b. Leaf color (Top side) —             Green/bright. c. Leaf color (Under side) — Green-lighter             color than top side. d. Leaf shape — Serrated leaflets with             symmetrically variable lengths. -   Female flower:     -   -   General.—e. Natural flowering season — November/December. f.             Bract i. Size — ¼ inch to 4 inches. ii. Quantity —             Numerous. iii. Shape — Serrated leaflets. iv. Trichome type             — Capitate sessile. v. Color — Green. vi. Case — Mixed in             with flower. vii. Texture — Sticky. -   Comparison between parental and commercial varieties: The new C.     sativa variety ‘V3’ differs from the parental varieties, female F12     and male M31, by having an increased production of THCV. 

1. A new and distinct variety of Cannabis plant named ‘V3’, as illustrated and described herein. 